Eyecon Party on the Hoe
Sunday 29th of August
By Erin Farmer

What would be the result if an Eyecon event was stripped of the lights, acoustics and lush surroundings of Dance Academy and we experienced the raw, naked Eyecon? We had the opportunity to find out on Sunday afternoon. Perched on Plymouth Hoe, overlooking the sea, Tom Costelloe, Tommy Quik, Kev Rose, Damien James and Rich Wright combined their D.J. skills to create the free Eyecon Party on the Hoe.

Despite the wind and spitting rain plenty of people turned out to enjoy the mini afternoon rave. Surrounded by prams, dreadlock dudes, people lazing on rugs and free range kiddies the whole festival feeling was set. The stage was a good size for the event, although the front half wasn't being used and was begging for a couple of podium dancers to brighten it up and add a much needed visual display. Others must have felt the same as they tried to fill the space themselves, but were sadly ushered off.

The DJs played in no particular order, merely taking turns on a couple of mixes, which somehow suited the relaxed vibe. Bouncy hard house, with few breaks was the flavour of the day. Because the tunes were pounding out of a 10k rig, supplied by DivineSound, the lack of acoustics did nothing to damper the energy of them. Helping the hardcore few carry on from the night before, were some old favourites- Felix's 'Don't you want me baby?', Azura's 'As the sun goes down' and a stomping re-mix of 'You sure do' by Strike. Also Prodigy and Nirvana re-mixes were played to the delight of the crowd. By laying down a happy, crowd pleasing set the regulars high expectations were fulfilled, whilst the 1st time Eyecon experimenters were eased in to the experience.

For the 2nd year the Eyecon daddy,Tom Costelloe, has given something back to the loyal fans and hopefully converted some non-believers. The answer to the first question is simple- Eyecon parties are still banging, without Dance Academy. A Saturday night spirit was very much kept alive, even in daylight. We all experienced a little Eyecon magic on that Sunday afternoon on the Hoe.